By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that the Ebola case detected in the Federal Capital Territory involves the Bundibugyo strain, with the affected diplomat reportedly developing multiple organ failure.
Olajumoke Babatunde, the NCDC’s Director of Public Health Laboratory Services, disclosed this on Wednesday while providing an update on laboratory investigations into the infection.
Babatunde said the diagnosis was established through three levels of molecular testing, which identified the virus as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
“We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” she said.
She also disclosed that the patient’s condition had deteriorated, resulting in multiple organ failure, although she did not provide further details about the diplomat’s current medical status.
The confirmation follows an earlier announcement by the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, that a female patient who had travelled from Uganda tested positive for Ebola.
However, Charles Olaro, Uganda’s Director-General of Health Services, subsequently clarified that the patient was Nigerian.
The NCDC did not disclose the patient’s nationality in its latest update.
The Bundibugyo strain was first identified in Uganda in 2007 and has also been associated with outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to health authorities, the virus can spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
The confirmation of the strain provides further information about the infection detected in Abuja, while the reported deterioration in the patient’s condition highlights the seriousness of the case.
Further details about the patient’s condition and the public health response were not provided in the update.
